Jeans That You Can Sport For Sports

Ordinarily, jeans are the last type of pants that you'd wear for sports--esecially outdoor sports. They're heavy and uncomfortable; they chafe your legs if you move quickly and they're an absolute b#*ch when wet. There's really no reason to wear jeans for sports, save for when you're a high school student that forgot his gym clothes.

And save for these Thunderbolt Softshell Jeans. Kind of like last year's U.S. Olympic snowboarding pants, these are functional performance pants designed to look like jeans. In this case, they're windproof, water-resistant, four-way-stretch blended-polyester pants that look like black denim. You won't find any of the negative qualities of jeans though; the Softshell Jeans are easy to move in, breathable, moisture-wicking and quick-drying. Made from Swiss textile company Schoeller's Dryskin fabric with NanoSphere® DWR (durable water resistant) technology, the pants hold up to not only water, but also dirt and stains.

You'll be able to walk right into the local bar without sticking out like a sore thumb, no matter how hard you were playing all day. And the soft-brushed interior keeps you feeling comfortable from morning to night.

Thunderbolt goes into an extensive list of uses including hiking, bouldering, cross-country skiing, fishing, winter sports, etc. Suffice it to say, they're designed to be versatile, go-to pants for outdoor sports.

The Thunderbolt Jeans retail for $188--probably more than the Levi's you're wearing, but not that bad for a pair of performance softshell pants from a small, Oregon-based start-up. If you're not a black jeans guy, you may want to hold off because Thunderbolt plans on adding other colors in the future.

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